Welcome to the Fakahatchee, Florida's largest state park! Here you'll find Wild Oranges, Ephiphites and other air plants, Wild Alligators, Black Bears, Florida Panthers, Boas, Deer, Numerous Birds, Lizards & so much more!

It's located right outside of Naples, Florida in the Everglades.

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We went hiking there this afternoon and were amazed at how humble we felt as humans walking in such an environment. I've only felt that way regarding wildlife and the environment in the Amazon in Peru. It's a good feeling that keeps one alert knowing that there are actual predators around.

The hike begins; one of the many alligators we saw right off the path.

First, watch our DTube video where we are 10 ft from a mama wild alligator and her numerous offspring! We start off talking and then Ini gets a close up of the babies and mama! Right after he stopped filming, they all jumped off the log and splashed in the swamp with much flair!

DTube Video

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It was incredible to be so close to such powerful creatures! Earlier in the week we went on a canoe trip through the mangroves on the Black River. There we learned a lot about the wildlife and that gators aren't naturally aggressive towards humans- only if they're trained to do so. We also learned that you can tell the size of a gator from it's snout. 8 inch snout = 8 ft alligator!

We saw a lot of other wildlife! Including an Owl & White Ibis.

Sorry the shots are blurry, it was too far away for my lens!

A Blue Heron on the hunt amidst the cypress and their neat roots:

Incredible flowers:

And twirly cat briars!

The ferns were absolutely incredible & reminiscent of prehistoric times:

And oddly enough, we found a lot of wild oranges! Ini had read about this beforehand and so we knew they were ok to try. During the hike, we suddenly smelled the amazing bright aroma of orange blossoms! When we looked up, we saw the glowing orange globes. Of course we had to try some! They were incredibly sour!!! We put them in guacamole and salad dressing for dinner! Wildharvesting in the Fakahatchee Strand!!

If you're not sure what a strand is (I wasn't either), here's the Wiki description:

A strand swamp or strand is a type of swamp in Florida that forms a linear drainage channel on flatlands. A forested wetland ecological habitat, strands occur on land areas with high water tables where the lack of slope prevents stream formation. Strands are more linear than the cypress dome swamps that form in more rounded depressions and are fairly similar to floodplain swamps that form further north along streams and rivers.

And for anyone wondering (or for anyone who has seen Adaptation with Nicolas Cage, the Fakahatchee is the home of the elusive and endangered Ghost Orchid! I can't wait to go on a swamp tour in the season to see these!! Be still my heart!

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Later on in the hike, we stumbled upon an old cabin and a jeep that had a keg on the front and taps on the side! I was thinking whoever lived back here would need some nice cold beer! I personally can't imagine wanting to live in this thick jungle with all of the wild animals, heat, humidity and mosquitos!! My mom and I tried to hike this trail last May only to make it 30 ft from the car before we started running back by the incredibly loud buzzing in our ears and bites hitting us from all sides! Needless to say, we were thankful to hike it today (I only got bit twice!).

Knowing that the gators weren't going to attack us (but still exercising due caution), we enjoyed our hike, while staying alert to everything that was around us! It was an invigorating hike and so satisfying to see all of the wildlife!!

It was an incredible journey for the day, one that left us grateful for not needing to spend the night there! It's always good to get out of our comfort zone!!

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▶️ DTube
▶️ IPFS